The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) UK Events Industry Inquiry Report into the international competitiveness of the UK events industry is released today and calls on Government to play its part in growing the sector’s value from its present £36bn to a projected £48.4bn by 2020.
The report points out that events businesses cannot afford to stand still after a successful 2012 Olympics and Diamond Jubilee.
While the APPG for Events Inquiry backs the claim that the UK is a world leader in the creation, staging, and production of events, it challenges notions and perceptions long held across the industry.
Chair of the APPG for Events, Nick de Bois MP, said that following on the heels of the Olympics and Rugby League World Cup, we will see the Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the Rugby Union World Cup in 2015.
“My fear is that while such unique global opportunities will not present again for some time, that the ingenuity and expertise demonstrated almost on a daily basis by the events industry at business and leisure tourism events will be seen as having peaked in this brief three-year period. Instead, London 2012 must represent a new catalyst for exceptional new opportunities and times in which Government may not only have now recognised the UK’s predominance, but joins with industry to help stimulate a new era of growth and partnership,” De Bois noted.
The Inquiry examined 21 written and verbal submissions from participators within the UK events sector and finds that events “could be a key driver of the Government’s ‘growth agenda’ by attracting high growth industries to the UK and stimulating the discussion as to why the UK is open and hungry for business.”
The events sector could help fuel the wider growth agenda for the nation by engaging with the key business sectors through the staging of international events, the report says.
The industry, in its submissions, did not ask for financial support for the sector but rather a reduction of “interventions that decrease its international competitiveness”.
The report notes barriers to growth were exacerbated by the poor positioning of the business events industry within many sectors of Government.
“Notwithstanding the committee receiving evidence of subvention by international competitor destinations, it was clear that the UK product is so strong and attractive to international event organisers that despite the lack of this subvention funding, and the obvious competitive disadvantage this creates, the UK continues to win major business,” the report notes.
Key recommendations to Government include:
- A cross departmental approach should be established to represent the best interests of the UK events industry. Its home should remain within Tourism at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), but it will also have representation from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS). A principal function of BIS is to break down the barriers created by unintended consequences of legislation or regulation. DCMS should chair a formal sub-committee with invited stakeholders from Home Office, BIS and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
- That a special ‘Events Visa’ is created, that will provide a more positive welcome to influential event parties travelling internationally into the UK. This has been authorised for the Commonwealth Games but should be extended to international trade shows, consumer and business-to-business events
- A feasibility study is set up to review if the tax raising powers of local government to raise income for capital expenditure, that demonstrates a net benefit return for the local community, with the support of the local community by democratic consent, are sufficient to meet industry objectives
- The Treasury should include, within future economic impact studies, the impact of taxation within the events industry and specifically, but not exclusively: The impact of APD on travel to major business and consumer events and the impact of VAT on business event success.
The report also recommends that the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) and the Britain for Events campaign be fully recognised by Government as the central and fully representative voice of the UK events industry.
The report also calls for a communication programme or conference to be delivered in partnership with the events industry and aimed at local authorities to promote the benefits of the events sector in local destinations.
The Inquiry was critical that the sharing of best practice across the sector was not evident.
“Destination success stories should be shared throughout the UK events industry so that others can benefit,” the report says.
Industry is urged by the Inquiry to fully embrace the Ministerial Support Bid initiative and closer relations with UKTI, including the newly formed UKTI Events Alliance, to ensure stronger pitches for meeting and convention business.
Sustainability and apprenticeships were both identified as key parts of the Government agenda, both as a stakeholder to the industry, but also as potential buyer. “These areas should therefore be more widely embraced by the events industry,” the report added.
Finally, the report noted that a single professional organisation, funded by the industry, with representatives from leading bodies, could help ensure a unified, coherent and consistent relationship is built with government, local authorities and regulatory bodies. This could be a better resourced BVEP to ensure the industry speaks with one voice.
Consistency of the UK Event ‘Product’ was also questioned in the report, with Glasgow and Edinburgh cited by panellists as excellent examples of best practice, while other destinations were not so sophisticated.
Simon Hughes (Eventia) cited the strength of the Scotland product, while Caroline Mackenzie (Congrex/Contendam) underlined the challenges faced by London in terms of the size of the convention bureaus service and staffing.
It was also noted by the Inquiry that outside of evidence submitted by a particular organisation, there was very little mention of the sustainability and environmental impact of the industry.
This is despite the UK positioning itself as global leader in this area on the back of the 2012 London Olympic & Paralympic Games.
The full report is available from the APPG and the BVEP.
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